International Project Manager Training Plan

Finally, emphasis Is placed on building a support system for the International Project Manager that consists of tenured Ms, language support and senior leadership. Keywords: international communication; project management: intercultural communication; training 3 groups of people understand and interpret the world. These differing interpretations that cultures give to their environment are critical influences on the interactions between working and managing across cultures. – L.Hocking: Managing cultural differences: Strategies for competitive advantage In order for a Project Manager to effectively manage a project that requires intercultural interaction and communication, it is critical that he is provided with a solid foundation that introduces him not only to the project and desired outcomes but also to the culture with which he will be working. The recommended training plan included here will provide the experience and exposure necessary for successful project management.Be fore examining how best to prepare to Project Managers for international projects, it is important to understand how successful intercultural interaction occurs. Intercultural communication, or the communication that occurs between two people of differing cultures, has many layers. Prior to the communication even occurring, ACH person brings his or her own constructs that exist as a result of the culture one is a part of.These schemata, or mental categories that humans create in order to make sense of the world around them, are fluid ideas that can begin as assumptions and grow with continued exposure. (Verne & Beamer, 2011, p. 36) This means that an initial perception that one may have about a different culture, while important, can be developed through additional exposure and education. Once two people begin an interaction, each individual also contributes his or her own experiences, values, demeanor and language.You & Saner, 2007, p. 191-219) These driving forces can cause one in teraction to be perceived in multiple different ways depending on the backgrounds of each individual. Understanding the delicate nature of communication cross-culturally and how it can be strengthened by exposure to and education about the different culture provides insight in 4 to the importance of effectively trained Project Managers who can avoid unintentional missteps as a result of the communication's complexity.Due to the critical nature of the role of International Project Managers, it is important o invest in their success through a 3 step phased introduction to both the role of International Project Manager as well as the culture with which they will be engaging. Phase 1: EX. Cultural Immersion Location: Corporate Office Duration: 1 to 4 weeks, depending on project complexity Details: There are two cultures into which new International Project Managers will need to be integrated – EX. Corporate Culture and the International Culture for which they will be leading.The purpose of Phase 1 is to integrate the PM in to EX. Culture. Throughout this 1 to 4 week phase, the PM will be introduced to our immunization systems, processes and procedures. Additionally, they will be provided exposure to our timeliness and interoffice communication. Finally, they will be introduced to the project that they will be leading and given an opportunity to work with key staff members on establishing initial timeliness.Expected Outcome: Project Manager gains fluency in EX. Corporate culture and their assigned Project Phase 2: Cultural Immersion Location: Both Corporate Office and International Offices 5 Attendees: New PM, Training Manager, Cultural Communication Consultant, Translator, Cultural Host Duration: 2 weeks (depending on project and cultural complexity) Details: This is a new phase in the International Project Manager training that has been incorporated as a result of previous missteps by Imps which have resulted in lost business and lost time.Previous cultura l exposure for Imps was limited to short training sessions and â€Å"on the Job† learning in host countries. Field experts in the business of Intercultural Project Management have determined that this kind of training is not sufficient and does â€Å"not meet the needs of managers who want answers to their particular expectations. † (Gale Group, 2004) Phase 2, will begin with 1 week of cultural education. This week will be tailored to the specific IMP and the country with which they will be working.A cultural communication consultant will facilitate the first week of training with focus on understanding the ‘M's perception of the culture with which they will be working. Then, together, the IMP and the cultural anthropologist with identify the key differences between the new culture and the ‘M's own. â€Å"The Lewis Model† will be used to help the IMP understand how to relate with the specific ultra and what obstacles may be presented. (Lewis, 2014) I mps will spend the second week in their host country. During this time, they will focus entirely on the new culture with which they will be working.Cultural Hosts in culture and customs. Depending on where the IMP will be located, exposure could consist of tours of the city; classes with local business 6 professionals; practice shopping, eating and negotiating as well as language exposure. If a translator will be used, this week will also provide ample opportunity for the IMP to build a relationship with the translator to ensure effective immunization is occurring between the two. Expected Outcome: Project Manager becomes comfortable in new Culture and becomes aware of any potential cultural obstacles that may need to be addressed.Phase 3: Putting it Together Location: Training Site Attendees: New PM; Training Manager; Senior International Program Manager Duration: 1 Week Details: This is a new phase in the International Project Manager training that provides the IMP with the opport unity to see another project at work. The IMP will be paired together with a Senior IMP whose project also crosses similar cultural lines. This week is designed to provide the IMP exposure to a successful project at work so that he can ask questions and understand how the relationship was developed.The schedule throughout this week will be designed to give the new IMP to both Senior IMP and his team but also to cross-cultured team members on the team. Through a strategic roundtable and facilitated two-way discussion, the new IMP will be able to build best practices and recommendations that can be incorporated in to his project. This time will also serve to build the relationship between the IMP and one of his errs, thus strengthening the support system available for the new IMP. Expected Outcome: IMP develops best practices and support system that he can use when taking over his new project. In conclusion, when done correctly, expanding business operations in to a culture that is di fferent can be rewarding and lucrative. Intercultural interaction is a delicate endeavor that must be handled with care and precision to ensure that unintentional missteps do not permanently damage a working relationship. The social constructs that Project Managers and contract workers bring can be diametrically opposed to hat of a host country's cultural customs and expectations.In order for International Project Managers to be successful, it is critical that their immersion in to EX. Company culture is thorough and streamlined so that time and resources are not wasted on adapting to that culture instead of the international culture with which the IMP will be engaging (Phase 1). Additionally, the IMP must be provided with adequate exposure and training that supplies them with culturally specific guidelines that they can use when beginning their project (Phase 2).Finally, the IMP must also be revived with exposure to Ex.'s expectations of a successful project while also providing a support system that can be leveraged in times of stress or dissent. The Three Phased Training Plan presented satisfies each of these requirements and is the first step in revolutionize Ex.'s international business organization. References Hocking, L. (1995) . Managing Cultural Differences, Strategies for Competitive Advantage. Boston, MA: Addison Wesley Publishing Company. Verne, I. & Beamer, L. (2011) . Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace.

Life Style Inventory Essay

As I look at my results from the Life Style Inventory my primary thinking style that I scored the highest in was the affiliative style at 83%. As I looked deeper at this style it fit me to a tee. I have always been warm and sincere because I always try to see the best in other people. My interpersonal relations with peers and subordinates alike have allowed me to be trusted and liked by others. This has helped me to be both diplomatic and tactful in my decisions as a manager. My genuine concern for people and ability to accept change easily has placed me in a leadership position many times just because I am able to listen and feel that people are more important than things. Next we will be looking at my backup personal thinking style and I had a two way tie between Self- Actualization and Humanistic- Encouraging at 75%. In the Humanistic-Encouragement thinking style I love to teach and enjoy sharing knowledge with others. I am very supportive of others and encourage others to strive for excellence and to think for themselves. As a good listener I am supportive of others and always willing to take time with people. Now with Self-Actualization I am a creative thinker and can communicate easily and very aware of my own feelings. I tend to be optimistic and realistic with my judgments and I have a high level of personal integrity. As I look at these three thinking styles I completely agree with them as my strengths. I have always been the equalizer and the manager called upon to best deal with conflict. I value my employees, focus upon perceptions, and know their needs. Honor and Integrity direct my morale fiber and I hold respect as being the most important element that people need in their lives. These styles are all important for training and developing a strong working team and have made me valued as a good leader and well thought of by my peers. When I at look at any of these thinking styles that may be limiting me I would have to turn towards Approval. I feel that I can be overly trusting too fast and too agreeable with others opinions. Whether you are overly seeking approval or accepting others values too much this style can work against you and be called being too generous to a fault. I feel that I would like to have better control upon being overly sympathetic with people. I have the ability to give people too many chances to improve or correct their behavior when in all actuality it would have been better to have cut our losses after the first counseling session failed. Giving an employee a fair chance is fine but when I go too far it can appear like favoritism or special treatment. If the employees know that you are overly sympathetic they will also play to this weakness to get out of the hot seat. The team likes you and shows approval on the surface but really they do not respect you and view you as a push over. I sometimes fight this behavior because there is a fine line between the perception of not caring and being not sympathetic enough and being overly sympathetic to a fault. I always know that you cannot please everyone as a good leader and some may even oppose you, but if upper management sees you as being too soft and overly sympathetic then you are not taking care of the business. Impact on Management Style: Planning When I think of my primary and back up styles of thinking I can see the affiliative style having me motivate my team through using praise and friendliness. This can help me in the planning phase by getting valuable input from my team through building trust and meaningful relationships that are reciprocated. This helps us to feel like a team and make informed decisions from data collected by our team and helps us to build a sound plan of action. Through self-actualization I would use my sound judgment and optimistic and realistic nature to set solid goals. When making company plans my humanistic-encouragement style would have me utilize my knowledge of the company’s needs and the teams needs to make good plans. Being a good listener also makes planning a lot easier. Organizing With my ability to develop and teach others and listening to my team while easily adapting to change I am able to better organize my team by setting SMART goals and using my communication skills to keep my team well informed. By thinking outside of the box and using my creative and original thinking skills I will be able to keep all of my team on the same page with our eye on the target of success. Leading My primary and backup styles give me an excellent leadership skillset in that I listen and set own goals, but I also understand how people feel and make sound judgments. My genuine concern for others and communication skills not only give me great leadership skills but my ability to use my intuition to read people allows for proactive decisions to be made. Perhaps it is my ability to be diplomatic and tactful and see the best in others that allows for me to be respected and well thought of as a leader. Controlling Some people use intimidation and threats to control their team but giving them respect and a sense of ownership of their job allows my coaching and development style to allow peer pressure to control our team. The ability to set common goals and encourage our team to think for themselves, gives ownership and control through respect, honor, and integrity. Never asking my team to do what I am not willing to do myself and giving them the resources and tools needed to be successful keeps the respect and lines of communication open. Genesis of Personal Style: If I was to critically evaluate what has contributed the most to my personal styles it would have to be my family and growing up in the restaurant business. Always being in the public eye and dealing with guests face to face gave me a comfort at an early age of being in front of people and taking the time to listen and enjoy people. I was in the entertainment business and learned how to set goals and run a business by watching the controllable costs and giving quality service so that our guests would return. I developed understanding, humility, confidence, and personal integrity from my family. Growing up in my community and having great friends and families really made a big difference with being sincere, warm, and open. It was sports and Boy Scouts that offered discipline, commitment, and goals to my life. From my relationships built in high school and the Navy to the relationships built in business I continue to learn and strive to improve my styles to compliment my ability to lea d. Conclusion and Reflection: As I look at my Constructive skills I see how my developments of Affiliative, Humanistic-Encouragement, and Self-Actualization styles have all contributed to my ability to be a good leader. My intuitive ability to read behavior and develop teams is second nature to me and my ability to listen and be real to my team has earned me their respect. Now my Passive and Defensive styles show me that dependent and conventional may be an area to watch out for but I felt that approval was the area that concerned me the most. Specifically it may be too easy to become overly sympathetic and this could lead to being overly generous to a fault. Looking at my Aggressive and Defensive Styles I look at oppositional and competitive styles and giving me the ability to question everything and always inspect everything before making a decision, be the best at what we do, and set the benchmark of our industry. I feel that the LSI shows us our strengths and opportunities and while we are always striving to improve our behaviors we must look at our beliefs in why we find our behavior acceptable and seek to make changes here, because in order to improve one’s behavior we must change our beliefs first. I feel that I would like to improve upon being less sympathetic and watch my procrastination by setting clear boundaries a staying to the specific rules. It is important for me not to put things off for tomorrow if I can do it today. I also would like to not get overly involved in team members personal issues that are affecting their work. This exercise helped me to look closely at how other styles can overshadow the positives of other styles and be counterproductive. This has helped me because as I see that several of my styles help me to be a good leader but now I have a better understanding on what other styles can limit my constructive styles ie, if I have a high affiliative and a high power style then I would desire to have close friendships but try to control and dominate these friendships which will result in a negative relationship. Overall this has been a great tool for my future in management and beter understanding my thinking and behavior process.

A Marketing Plan for BW Leisure Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Marketing Plan for BW Leisure Trust - Essay Example Like any other commercial organization, BWLT also requires a proper marketing plan in order to become independent of tax payers’ money and to stay ahead of its rivals. A proper marketing plan that includes five major aspects such as ‘situational analysis’, ‘marketing objective’, ‘marketing strategy’, ‘implication’ and ‘control’ is presented in this paper. Each of these aspects is suitably analyzed in the context of BWLT in the following sections of this paper. Business Mission The principle mission of BWLT is operating the sporting assets in such a way that benefits the facility users and becoming a self-sufficient profit making organization within the next seven years. Situational Analysis Situational analysis is all about analyzing the internal as well as external environment of an organization. Strategic management tools like Porter’s five forces model and SWOT are useful for such analysis. Porterâ€⠄¢s five forces i.e. buyers’ bargaining power, suppliers’ power, threat of substitutes, rivalry among competitors and threat of new comers can be analyzed in the context of BWLT (Ahlstrom & Bruton, 2009) In case of BWLT, users of the facilities have strong bargaining power as they can choose any other facilities according to their requirements. Suppliers of various equipments are likely to have medium to low bargaining power as there are number of entities that are in this business. Rivalry among the players is expected to be more intense in the coming days and threat from a newcomer is medium as significant volume of capital is must to start such a business. SWOT Analysis The major strength of BWLT is that its usefulness has been proved to the local people over the past few years. Furthermore, various schemes that are already introduced by it are found to be quite popular among the users. Major weakness of this charity trust is the fact that it is still dependent on t he tax payers’ money. In addition to that there are very few marketing related activities. The trust has almost no online presence which is a major drawback for an organization that desires to be self-funded in the coming years. Major opportunity that this trust can capitalize on is the fact that it can now target the entire population of UK. Other leisure facility providing centres and private gyms that can be considered as its competitors are likely to be the main threat for BWLT’s business. Marketing Objective Marketing objectives ought to be SMART i.e. it should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound (Walker, 2006). The primary marketing objective in case of BWLT is to enhance the involvement of the users of the facilities. Involvement of users is likely to be reflected by the increase in usage of the facilities and this in turn would reflect in the total sales volume. It is aimed that the business of BWLT will increase by 30% in the coming y ear. Furthermore, another main objective is to enhance the brand equity of BWLT and this can be measured while dealing with the both suppliers and customers. Each of these objectives is SMART in nature. Marketing Strategy Marketing strategy for BWLT can be developed by using tools like Ansoff Matrix. As per this matrix the trust will have four options i.e. market penetration, market development, product development and diversification (Mercer, 1996). In order to

Mollie's job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mollie's job - Essay Example The company may have been relying on the outsourcing of labor from countries with low wage. The aim of this outsourcing might have been to ensure high quality production as a cost effective means. The relocation might be due to the searching of relatively cheaper labor cost in the market. This means that the relocation may have been to countries low labor costs or availability of markets. Low labor cost is a relative factor that over time may change, thus explaining the several relocations (Moley). The movement may be due to search of better infrastructure and qualified workers access. The skilled labor abundance will lead to lower prices for quality services (demand and supply rule). The availability of technological skills also might have been the reason to why the company kept moving. Technological inventions and innovation have advanced to be common thus making it hard to cope up with if the labor force is not exposed enough. Companies or businesses might be forced to move from one area to another in search of highly skilled management personnel. Another reason would be to move where the employees can easily access capacity building services easily (Moley). Companies and organizations can relocate in search of benefits that relate to financial incentives (Moley). The generosity within the financial incentive offers may make a company to decide to relocate from country A to B. Or even chose country or state A over the country or State B. Financial incentives like tax incentives normally increase the profit margin of companies, thus suitable for conducting business. The Mollie’s case may be due to the same issue; thus making her employer to move from one area to another. The multiple movements are normal since the incentives offered may differ from one country to another. In summary, the incentives offered are normally relative and depends with the governing body of the area thus differ. The Mollie’s employees may have been looking for new

Is there evidence that Withania somnifera is effective in tumor Dissertation

Is there evidence that Withania somnifera is effective in tumor suppression - Dissertation Example At present, plant products have already been used as a standard chemotherapeutic agent. For example, vinblastine (from periwinkle (Catharanthus)) and paclitaxel (from Yew tree (genus Taxus)) are already a part of chemotherapeutic options used against cancer (Choudhary et al., 2010). Because a high number of individuals still suffer from cancer, the search is still ongoing for the compound, both natural and synthetic, that can hopefully decrease the cancer-caused mortality rate considerably. Withania somnifera, commonly called as Ashwagandha, is a member of Solanaceae family, together with Nicotiana (tobacco), Solanum (potato), and Capsicum (pepper). In herbal medicine, W. somnifera has already been used against various health conditions. In Pakistan, it has been used against respiratory problems (Choudhary et al., 2010). In India, it has been recognized as an aphrodisiac and invigorating medicine (Choudhary et al., 2010). The plant is also used against intestinal ulcers, rectal bleed ing and irritable bowel (Pawar et al., 2011). Several withanolides isolated from Ashwagandha were also found to possess anti-glycation, possibly against diabetes, and anti-pyretic effects (Choudhary et al., 2010). ... EVIDENCE OF TUMOR SUPPRESSION ACTIVITY OF Withania somniferous In this literature review, four journal articles, ranging from 2003 to 2011, were looked into. Most of the methods used by these studies are in vitro, and only one using in vivo, although in an experimental model (rats). Google scholar was used as a search engine, with the results limited to 2000 to 2011. The search terms used were â€Å"Withania somnifera cancer†. Later in this paper, the quality of the research would be assessed mostly based on the methods used in the purification and activity assays. Activity of crude methanolic extract against NCI-H460 Compounds from the leaves and stems of W. somnifera were tested for its anti-proliferative activity against human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460 in vitro. In this study by Choudhary et al. (2010), tested for growth inhibitory and cytotoxic activities were the (1) crude methanolic extract of W. somnifera, (2-4) three isolates, and the positive control (5) doxorubi cin. The isolates were obtained using silica gel chromatography. They were then characterized using mass spectrometry and NMR. One of the three compounds were identified as withaferin A, while the other two were found to be its chlorinated steroidal lactone and epoxide derivatives, respectively. In testing their activity, GI50, or the concentration causing 50% growth inhibition of NCI-H460 cells, and LC50, or the concentration causing the death of 50% of the same cancer cell line, were measured for all the five test substances. The obtained data were compared using one-way ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple range test (p < 0.05) using SPSS 17 program. Finally, the report also mentioned the presence of other studies that confirm the growth inhibitory activity of withaferin A against other

In instruction box Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

In instruction box - Essay Example The threats are the elements that could lead the business to trouble. It is important to conduct a SWOT analysis as it may later inform the business planning steps that are directed to the realization of business objectives (Armstrong, 1996). Every serious business should conduct and implement a SWOT analysis every so often to evaluate its position in the market. This paper will involve a SWOT analysis of Nike Company and will go further to analyse what businesses need to do to gain a stronger market position. About Nike Company Nike Incorporated is a multinational business that designs, develops and markets apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. The American company has its headquarters in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Nike as the company is popularly referred to is among the fortune 500 companies and boasts of being a leading producer of apparel, sports equipment and athletic shoes in the world (Nike Inc., 2013). Established in 1964 under the name of Blue Ribbon Sports, the corporation has several brands to its name, the main ones being Nike, Nike Skateboarding, Nike Golf, and Nike Pro. The organization has a number of subsidiaries including Converse and Hurley International, operates a number of retail stores, and sponsors several high profile sports teams and athletes from different nations across the globe. Nike SWOT Analysis Strengths Nike Inc. enjoys several strengths to its advantage. The company has been in existence since 1964 which may translate to a lot of experience in its field. The Nike brand has become a global brand over the years and enjoys strong brand equity. Given that the brand is linked with many famous athletes and favorite sports teams, it enjoys a huge amount of endorsements from its beneficiaries and by extension, the support of the masses spread across the world (Marketing Teacher, 2013). It is a fact that the establishment of manufacturing plants, buildings and other immovable assets cost huge capital investments and ties an organization’s finances. While many organizations have their capital tied to such assets as buildings and factories, this is not the case with Nike Inc. The corporation also does not have its capital tied to workers engaged in the production of its products. This being the case, the business thrives on a lean workforce and therefore operates on a lean budget. Furthermore, relying on the facilities of other organizations to manufacture its products gives Nike the opportunity to produce its products at the lowest possible costs without compromising on quality (Marketing Teacher, 2013). This arrangement affords Nike huge profit margins especially considering that it thrives on a lean workforce and budget. The organization has a robust research and development team that work toward coming up with high quality innovative products. The organization is one that produces branded clothing - a field in which there is little to innovate about (Tech Analysis Blogger, 2013). W hile this is the case, the company has managed to come up with innovative products that meet the needs of various demographics. The company also has a high score with regard to its environmental record. The Clean Air-Cool Planet, the company among the top companies that are climate friendly. Weaknesses One of the weaknesses that

Ideas of Adam Smith, Niccolo Machiavelli, Karl Polanyi, Jean-Jacques Essay

Ideas of Adam Smith, Niccolo Machiavelli, Karl Polanyi, Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Essay Example Machiavelli reiterates that crimes may win an empire but they can never win glory moreover he believed necessary wars were just wars and that the arms of a nation are hallowed when it lacks other resources apart from fight. In addition, concerning the markets, Machiavelli considers increase of land and things to be core (Machiavelli 13-14). Rousseau believes in a monarchy that guarantees the needs and the universal will of its people are executed. He believes the pressing interest of a ruler is his most indispensible duty is observing the laws of which the individual is the minister and on which the whole authority is founded. Moreover, he considers social actions to be reciprocal in nature thus impracticable for anyone to position himself beyond the law without relinquishing the advances of the law in a sovereign country. Rousseau believes that the government is not the master of the law but it is much of guarantor of the law and posses many means of inspiring love of it, which makes the talent of reigning. Rousseau believes that people are born amoral however, when people enter society they acquire the capacity for vice as well as the capability for virtue. Rousseau’s analysis regarding vice is comprehensible and well developed which exemplifies that vice results from competition. According to Rousseau, human beings are born free but in many political societies they are subjected to a form of dependence that amounts to slavery. Moreover, Rousseau considers two kinds of inequality that include natural and contrived inequalities but only natural inequalities are acceptable. As well, Rousseau believes justice is impossible to achieve in a world that is stark of social inequality in addition he believes that concentrations of wealth increases inequality (Rousseau 8). In wealth of nations, Smith closely ties liberation of the desire for wealth to commerce and free market, which he considered the most effective way of satisfying that desire, which is synonymous with Rousseau’s view on governance. Thus in Smith’s view, life is ceaselessly driven by desire, anxiety and fear hence life is eternally filled with disturbance and disquiet (Fitzgibbons 3). Smith considers people by nature to have a tendency for improving their circumstances through buildup of goods of affluence, status a nd power. Smith considers the accumulation of wealth as means that jeopardizes tranquility as opposed to producing it, which is also synonymous with Rousseau regarding personal interest. Therefore, both perspectives of Smith and Rousseau consider the pursuits of wealth to be deeply misleading; for instance, Smith argues on the condition of the material world (Gudz 2). Polanyi in The Great Transformation clarified precincts of self-regulating markets and currently there is no reputable, intellectual hold for the proposition that markets by themselves result in competent, let alone equitable outcomes. This view is also synonymous with Rousseau model which considered the concentration of wealth to be the cause of increase in inequality. Polanyi addresses a certain defect in self-regulating economy which involves the relationship between the economy and society in how economic systems affect the way people relate to one another. This view is also considered by Rousseau who believed accu mulation of w

Macroeconomics problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Macroeconomics problems - Essay Example b) Assume the exchange rate changes. Now, ‘1 euro=$1.20’. Showing all work, what does Wanda pay for the wine? What does Pierre pay for the computer? In this case, there is a change in the individual rates of exchange between the euro and the dollar. Currently, ‘1 euro=$1.20’ hence Wanda will spend (1000*1.20) 1200 dollars on a bottle of French wine. On the other hand, Pierre will spend (2000/1.20) 1,666.67 Euros on the purchase of an American computer. c) Which currency appreciated? Explain. Taking a closer look at the two currencies, it is evident that the Euro appreciated against the dollar. According to macroeconomic theory, appreciation of a currency refers to the increase in the value of one international currency against the other in the sense that the appreciating currency is able to purchase more of the other currency (Krugman & Wells 100). In the above mentioned case, the dollar and the Euro are international currency that had an initial exchange ra te of ‘1 euro=$1.08.’ However, there was a change in the exchange rates and the current rate stands at ‘1 euro=1.20.’ This means that the dollar has to fetch more additional units to purchase a single unit of a Euro. This is evident in the case of an American purchasing a bottle of wine and has to pay an initial price of 1080 dollars. Since the euro has appreciated, the American will have to pay a higher price of 1200 for the same bottle of French wine. Consumers using the Euro have a higher purchasing power compared to those using the dollar. SECTION TWO: a) In this section, you will set up a balance of payments table. Please read chapter 26. A BOP has three accounts. You will need to place each item in its proper account and have a dollar value for the total of each account. The table will be in billions. Please indicate, plus or minus, for each number. Credits ‘000,000 ($) Debits ‘000,000 ($) A. Current Account (1) Exports (2) Imports (3) Net Transfers (4) Net Interest Income Balance B. Capital Account (5) Foreign Investments in the U.S. (6) U.S. Investments Abroad Balance (7) Statistical Discrepancies Overall Balance C. Official Reserve Account +2,421 +150 +220 +1150 +250 +30 -2,971 -180 -900 -40 -30 b) What does the official settlements number indicate? Be precise in explaining this. Based on the above table, the official settlements number is -30 and this indicates that the US has an increase in its foreign reserves and that there is also a decrease in the dollar reserves held by foreign central banks (Krugman & Wells 113). The decrease in dollar reserves among foreign central banks count as debits in the Balance Of Payments account. SECTION THREE: a) Under what conditions would the Fed sell government securities? The Fed would sell government securities under conditions such as inflation, employment and national output. Under such cases, the Fed does not have control but can only influence such conditions to its fav or. The Fed can create an effect on such conditions by increasing or reducing the short term rate interest especially through open market operations. Some of the government securities used during open market operations includes treasury bills, bonds and notes (Krugman & Wells 119). The control of money supply offers tangible solutions to the conditions mentioned above. When the Fed is targeting to increase the supply of money in the economy, there will be the purchase of securities. On the

Contemporary issues in accounting and finance Essay

Contemporary issues in accounting and finance - Essay Example A recent FEE (Federation of European Accountants) publication states that â€Å"an individual’s objectivity must be beyond question when conducting and reporting on a statutory audit† (FEE). This paper will critically evaluate this statement with particular reference given to some fundamental financial/accounting/auditing concepts and external studies. Objectivity of statutory auditors There are many situations where a statutory auditor’s objectivity would be questioned when auditing financial statements of a firm. To illustrate, an auditor faces this challenge while dealing with the valuation of assets. In order to understand this situation clearly, it is necessary to discuss the difference between fair value and historical cost. Under historical cost accounting, assets and liabilities are valued at original acquisition price and any increase or decrease in their market value over the years is not taken into account (Shome 1995, p.135). In contrast, assets and l iabilities are valued at the market price in the current date under the fair value accounting method (Wood 2009, p.344). Traditionally, books of accounts were kept at historical costs. However, fair value accounting replaced this conventional accounting practice nearly two decades ago and since then the assets and liabilities are measured at their current value estimates (Ramanna 2013). Today, most of the firms value assets and liabilities at the estimates of their current market value in order to give the stakeholders a detailed view of the financial status of the business. Since dubious assets/liabilities valuation practices have led to many corporate failures over the last decade, it is a challengeable task for auditors to certify the reliability of fair value accounting. Under such circumstances, a statutory auditor’s objectivity is likely to be questioned if he has any specific interest in the firm. Fair value accounting represents the social construction of reality wher eby legitimacy, power, and illusions are created. As experts point out, new epistemic criteria have to be created to address the socially constructed reality of fair value accounting. Fair value accounting clearly represents socially constructed reality, and auditors are expected to maintain professional ethics and legitimate practices (Jeppesen & Liempd 2011). In order to verify this socially constructed reality, auditor’s independence has to be specifically promoted. The auditor’s independence can significantly affect the credibility of financial statements (Olagunju 2011). Hence, there is a positive relationship between independence of an auditor and credibility of the financial statement (Ibid). In addition, an auditor’s independence can justify his objectivity to a great extent. The auditor’s independence has two distinct aspects including real independence and perceived independence (Sucher & MacLullich n.d.). Accomplishment of both these aspects is essential to achieve the ultimate goals of auditor’s independence. Real independence can be simply defined as the independence of the auditor or independence of the mind (Palmrose & Saul 2001). More precisely, real independence is related to the state of mind the auditor maintains and how he manages a particular situation. A really independent auditor would make independent decisions even though he is forced to handle a compromising condition by the company’

Building a Power Base in a New Organization Case Study

Building a Power Base in a New Organization - Case Study Example Hence it is important realize that the first few months of transfer is critical in building a power base in order to accomplish the leadership role and changes that you want to achieve and realize your personal and professional goals (Houston, 2008). According to Paula Brynion (2004), power is one’s capability to influence others. The nursing industry must recognize that constructing a power base is a vital force in controlling one’s vocation and place in an organization. Brynion furthers states that the capacity to identify and connect the enthusiasm and prospect of nursing is imperative in building a positive perception of and using power. Hence, a list of strategies in building a power base is listed and expounded in this paper. 1. Be professional and act as a team player. Since you are a new nameless subject in the group, you must present yourself in a package that would leave a positive mark to your coworkers. Uphold an aura of professionalism and competence by goi ng to work early and well-groomed. Be conscious of how you talk with others and try to be tactful and confident especially when dealing with head nurses and doctors. Maintaining composure even under times of stress will leave them a good impression of you. It is also necessary to work harder, volunteer for extra shifts and readily help colleagues to contribute more to the community. Involve yourself in meetings, extra assignments and accept these tasks with an open mind. Eventually, perseverance and professionalism can take you greater heights and everyone will associate your name with respect and credibility (Daly, Speedy and Jackson, 2003). 2. Learn the rules. Building a power base command for socialization and determination of the key people of power in the company. Understanding the â€Å"unspoken rules† in an organization is critical in blending in with your new surroundings, will provide you with a broader vision of the organization and get a better sense of how it func tions. It is essential for any newcomer to recognize the culture and values of the institution in order to have an awareness of the do’s and don’ts in the workplace. The information achieved through these details can benefit you by gaining entrance into important networks in the system (Carter, 2007). 3. Increase expert power. Given that you have been a registered nurse for five years from a previous hospital, it is expected that proper training and experience are already at hand. However, continuous gaining of knowledge, expertise and skills are still needed to increase expert power. New challenges arise every day that can help increase not only your skill level but your maturity as well. Moreover, taking up specialty certifications and advanced studies upsurges your power base because of new knowledge gained. Open positions for higher ranks may specifically require certain capabilities so you need to seize those opportunities by gaining expert power as much as you ca n (Yoder-Wise, 2011). 4. Search for mentors and form alliances with other professionals. Associate yourself with positive role models that imitate nursing excellence and behave accordingly. Coworkers who show commitment to extensive learning and love for their jobs are more likely to emulate optimistic approach in making a difference in the nursing industry. These kinds of people can be of great influence to you since mentoring is an active process that can help build a power base.

Coach Johnson Essay Example for Free

Coach Johnson Essay 1.Some Various forms of power include coercive, compliance gaining, expert, and reward power (Interpersonal Communication: Relating to others pg. 229-230). The kind of power that Coach Johnson has on his team very to comply with coach Johnson’s goals like going to the championships. 2.The turning point was when Gilbert decided to go talk to Coach Johnson because from there and on Coach Johnson yelled at gilbert had a bad conversation. Yes I think it was the same turning point for Coach Johnson because he felt more frustrated because he does not like people telling how to run things. If one has a positive turning point and the other has a negative, the person with the positive turning point might be calmer and actually talk things out. 3.The turmoil stage, the conflict was increase and unclear relationship happened when Gilbert approach the Coach. The stagnation stage, communication declined and both took each other for granted because they were mad at each other, Gilbert because he wanted more playing time and Coach Johnson because he doesn’t like people telling him how to run things. The de-intensification stage, decreased interaction and distance both were to mad at each other that they didn’t want to talk. The individualization stage, when both are more individual than being more of a team. The separation stage, when they try to eliminate further communication between them, this is when Coach Johnson decides to put James over Gilbert. The final stage is post-interaction stage, this happened when gilbert wants to quit the team and go his separate way. (Interpersonal Communication: Relating to others pg. 263-265) 4.Social exchange theory is an economic model of human behavior used to explain how people arrive at decisions, posits that people seek the greatest amount of reward with the least amount of cost (Interpersonal Communication: Relating to others pg.267). Well the cost would be the relationship and the rewards would be the rewards you are gaining from the relationship. Coach Johnson decided to put James in instead of Gilbert because he was not gaining any rewards from Gilbert because Gilbert was not playing good. 5.Attitude can be communicated verbally when Gilbert talked back to his coach. Attitude can also be communicated verbally when Gilbert talked back to his coach. Attitude can also be communicated non-verbally, this happened when his teammates seen Gilbert always mad through his face expression. Attitude affects long term relationships because when people have an attitude they tend to say things they don’t  mean. Gilbert might want to recognize his mistakes in the games and work harder and talk to Coach Johnson when he is calmer and relaxed, Gilbert should also apologizing to his team for not being his best on team.

Three Different Types of Transition Essay Example for Free

Three Different Types of Transition Essay Transitions in life are a fundamental part of development in children and young people. From an early age a child will experience some form of transition, and how well they deal with these changes as they are growing up will be depend on their stage of development, their confidence and the support and positive relationships they may have. The affects of transitions vary from child to child, so it is important to consider them on an individual basis. That said, it is possible to gain an idea of how a childs social development may be influenced by a range of changes and the type of transition must firstly be considered. Emotional for example bereavement, the divorce or separation of parents Many children will have experienced warm, consistent, predictable care and will see adults as reliable, supportive and caring. But when there is a major change within the family unit such as parents separating or divorcing, it can have such an impact on the parents that the childrens emotions may be forgotten. This can have a traumatic affect on them and its likely that a childs emotional development will be affected. They may start to misbehave at home and/or at school to seek attention or become shy and withdrawn and lose confidence. It may cause a long-term problem as some children may find it difficult to form trusting relationships with adults. Physical for example moving to a new home or class room From something as simple as moving on to a new activity within the classroom to moving to a new home, a child or young person may find physical transition traumatic and unsettling and may affect their development. If for example a child is progressing with age to a new school or moving to the next year group within the same school, the transition may have positive effects as they wont be making the changes alone, they will be with their friends. They will be able to see their old friends in the new environment and the transition will seem a lot less daunting and they will feel comfortable of their new surroundings more quickly. However, if the move is to a new school where they are making the transition on their own where they wont know anybody they could become shy and withdrawn. They may not want to join in any of the activities and be socially awkward. Intellectual for example moving from nursery to school, primary school to secondary school, secondary school to college or college to university Some children are unable cope with intellectual transition even if there are some familiarities such as still seeing their old friends. Progressing from primary school to secondary school or secondary school to college may be difficult for some children and young people to cope with. After having familiar surroundings of the same classroom and teacher for a year it suddenly all changes and may cause some children to panic. They may become shy and withdrawn or start to exhibit antisocial behaviour. Whatever the change or transition is, children should be given the opportunity to talk about what is going on, what is happening and how they are feeling. In some situations it can be discussed prior to the event, such as moving class or moving up a year. Giving children and young people the warning of what the change will entail and the opportunity for them to ask questions can reduce the harmful effects the change or transition may have on their development. In some cases, such as bereavement, talking with the child or young person prior to the event may not be possible. However, the opportunity for them to discuss what has happened and how they are feeling should still be given. It is important that all children and young people have positive relationships during periods of transition.

Gambling Addiction Literature Review

Gambling Addiction Literature Review Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction This chapter covers a review of past literatures pertaining to the topic under study. As an opening, it brings in the limelight the backbone of gambling. Several definitions about gambling and the rationale behind are put forward as described by several authors. Following this, the different types of gambling activities adopted by the university students are highlighted; namely poker, sports wagering and lotteries for example. Furthermore, gamblers response towards the gambling activities and their problems are reviewed and contrasted. 2.2 What is gambling? Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value (stakes) on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money or goods. Three key elements in gambling are: Consideration, Chance and Prize (I. N. Rose, 2013). McGill university review refers gambling as any game or activity in which you may risk money or a valuable object in order to win money. The elements present in gambling are firstly that one needs to realize that by gambling, something valuable is being put at risk, secondly the outcome of the game is determined by chance and finally once a bet is made it is irreversible. 2.3 History of gambling: Gambling is one of mankind’s oldest doings as indicated by writings and equipments found in tombs and other places. The foundation of gambling is considered to be divinatory by emitting marked sticks and other objects and inferring the upshot, man sought the understanding of future and the aims of gods. Anthropologists have also pointed to the fact that gambling is more rampant in societies where there is an extensive belief in gods and spirits whose compassion may be sought. With the advent of legal gambling houses in the 17th century, mathematicians came to a decision to take a serious awareness in games of randomizing equipment, such as dice and cards, out of which grew the field of probability theory. Organised approved sports betting dates back to the late 18th century where there was a swing in the official stance towards gambling, from considering it to a sin to considering it to a vice and a human weakness and lastly to seeing it as a mostly harmless and even entertaining activity. By the start of the 21th century approximately four out of five people in western nations gambled at least every week. 2.4 Who is a gambler? A person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events can be categorized as a gambler. Gamblers can visit gambling houses, or through any other facility, to place their bets and hope for a win. There are three common types of gambler the social gambler, the professional gambler and the problem gambler. The professional gamblers are the rarest form of gambler and do not depend on luck but much more of games of skills to make an earning. They have full control over the money, time and energy they are spending on the game. The social gambler considers gambling to be a recreational activity and they maintain control of their betting, the energy and the time they spend on the game. They consider their betting to be a price to be paid for entertainment. Problem gambler involves the continuous involvement in gambling despite negative consequences and this can lead to other health and social problems. 2.5 Gambling across the globe 2.5.1 Gambling age The gambling age across the globe varies greatly. In some countries and areas gambling is proscribed altogether, in others gambling is only authorized for foreigners. In some areas, everyone is allowed to play but the betting age requirement is not the same for citizens as for foreigners. An example of such a country is Portugal where foreigners are allowed to venture in all casinos at the age of 18, while citizens need to be 21 or 25 depending on the gaming house. The most familiar gambling age across the sphere is 18 years and more than 50% of western countries have this gambling age. There are nonetheless abundance of examples of countries that have a superior limit, such as Greece and Germany. Germany is a good model of how thorny the question of gambling age really is as Germany, just like in the USA, has different ages in different states within the nation. Most German states require you to be 18 years old, but some have placed the age constraint at 21 years instead. Generally speaking, one can see a trend of countries and states lowering the gambling age from the once dominating gambling age of 21 year to just 18 years. This trend has been going for quite some time and across large parts of the world. 2.5.2 Top of the world Certain countries are, as a whole, hot ongambling. Measured in terms of loss per capita of adults, the two top nations containing the maximum loss stand head and shoulders above the world. Those two infamous gambling Mecca’s are Australia and Singapore (American Gaming Association, 2006). The top five countries as to gambling losses per capita of the adult population comprise: Australia, Singapore, Ireland, Canada and Finland. The average net yearly per adult expenditure on gambling for these nations runs from $1,275 down to $540 (American Gaming Association, 2006). 2.6 Gambling in Mauritius: It was recently declared that the Council of Ministers in Mauritius endorsed the resolution that bookmakers operating out of the Champ de Mars racecourse are now permitted to work only on Fridays and Saturdays. Till now they were allowed to take bets upon publication of the official program of races on Thursdays. The raison dà ªtre set for this decision is that it will smooth the progress of condensing the influence of gambling on the Mauritians. Gambling has become part of the foundation of the Mauritian society over the years. This takes account of casino gambling, online gambling, horse race betting and the â€Å"loterie verte†. Althoughhorse racingis still a popular betting sport, the Lotto, since its preface on the 7th of November 2009 as the new national lottery, has exceeded it in standing. We just have to pay attention to the radio for a few minutes or take a glimpse at the billboards when driving on the public road to get to know about the jackpot for the coming draw. There are more than 500 counters across the island in supermarkets, petrol pumps, and shops facilitating customers to play the Lotto. Around 12 scratch cards have also been pioneered giving people the prospect of winning instant money. When people primarily used to place their hard-earned money on horses, now they are being ensnared into wasting it on the Lotto. A considerable number of people are already conquered by the â€Å"jackpot feverâ₠¬ , spending more than usual when the jackpot gets bigger. 2.7 Types of gambling: Gambling is a vast world which compromises of many branches from which people try their luck in the hope to make more money or just for the thrill of the game. In Mauritius you can easily find casinos, gaming houses (which is smaller than a casino but offers the same service for middle class players) and shops where you gamble. Some of the available forms of gambling present on the island are: 2.7.1 The lottery. The ‘lottery verte’ and the Lotto are the most common and most profitable types of gambling for the government in Mauritius. The ‘Lottery verte’ is a monthly lottery where you have to buy the tickets at a retailer, which can be found everywhere, and you just have to wait for the end of the month to check your results and see if you have won. The prices of the tickets are Rs10 each and you are eligible to win prices ranging from Rs 100000 to Rs 10 million. On the other hand you have the Lotto which settled itself in Mauritius more recently and now it’s the new craze for Mauritian. The idea is that you have to select 6 numbers out of 40 (each number can be selected only once) and then you just have to go to any supermarkets or retailer to validate your 6 numbers. Each ticket cost Rs20 and you can play as much ticket you want. The lottotech, the company which runs the lotto, makes a public draw, on air, on the national channel every Sa turday. The lotto is a lottery where you have a cumulative jackpot, that is if no one wins the jackpot this week then the other week they will add this to a new jackpot thus every time you have the chance of winning a bigger one if you lose, and this jackpot starts at Rs5 million and can go up to Rs70 million (biggest jackpot won till now). 2.7.2 Horse racing. Horse racing is anchored in our society for ages and it forms part nowadays in our cultural and historical heritage. It was introduced in Mauritius by the English before the independence and it is still going strong. In the beginning horse racing was more for fame and social status than for making money and gambling. Latter to make the horse industry run and thrive, the board introduced betting on the horse racing and this was also a good opportunity for government to get tax money. Horse racing is a huge event in Mauritius, every Saturday and on some special occasions on Sundays we have horse racing at the Champ de Mars which is the race tracks found in the capital Port Louis. Nowadays in every rural and urban area you can find bookmakers who will take your bets on the horses as from Friday and on racing days you have a huge crowd who converge to the Champ de Mars for the fun and in the hope of making money. 2.7.3 Casino. A casino is a facility which accommodates certain types of gambling activities such as slot machines, poker, blackjack, big or small, van lak, dice and roulette for example. Casinos are situated at strategic areas to lure more and more clients, such strategic areas might be near hotels, touristic attractions, or even a city or town which is well frequented by many people. In Mauritius you have many casinos or gaming houses, which are smaller casinos but still well frequented by the people, found in the urban areas such as Rose-Hill, Vacoas, Port-Louis and some touristic places such as Grand Baie. Most games played have mathematically-determinedoddsthat ensure the house has at all times an overall advantage over the players. This can be expressed more precisely by the notion ofexpected value, which is uniformly negative (from the players perspective). This advantage is called thehouse edge. This is why there is an adage â€Å"the house always wins† for the casinos . In Mauritius nowadays we can witness more and more casinos being offered a patent and opening their doors to the public. The government knows that this is a prolific market and if they can make gambling accessible to more tourists and people it will surely be an advantage to them since the casinos have to pay a huge tax and money to get their patent. We can see that several tournaments are being organized in Mauritius, such as the World Poker Tour National Mauritius, which lures people from all over Africa and the Indian Ocean to come to Mauritius just to play poker. The hotels now when they are advertising the island they also advertise casinos to get more tourists, a new clientele and a really good strategy that differs from other hotels as they are targeting more and more high class ‘gambling tourists’ and which is a very profitable market. 2.7.4 Scratch cards. This is the new craze among the Mauritian people. Scratch cards are simple and easily available across the whole island. The rule is simple just buy one and you have to scratch the opaque surface which concealed the information, if you get the required symbols you win, and the most attractive part of it is the opportunity to win instantly as compared to lottery where you have to wait for the draw and the prices at which they are sold and the prizes that you can get from it. Cards can range from Rs20 to Rs100 and prizes may vary from Rs200 000 to Rs1 million. The scratch cards are supervised by the Lottotech the same company which manage the Lotto in Mauritius. 2.7.5 Online gambling. Easy, availability, and affordable are the words usually associated with online gambling. Easy to log in on some betting sites, no account needs to be created and no fees to be paid. Availability because of the fact that it is all over the internet, you do not have to look far to find online gambling sites. Banner ads and pop-ups can be found on mostly every site which has a high level of traffic by people. It is affordable since some sites just let you bet for free and if you win then you have to cash in to be able to play, some allows you to choose how many you want to bet and give you live odds according to what is happening which cannot be found elsewhere. Online gambling targets most of the time teenagers, this is a strategy called ‘grooming’ whereby they make the teenagers feel acquainted with the attractiveness of the game so that when he becomes older he will still be a potential income earner and a player. 2.8 Gambling among university students Gambling is omnipresent among university students as demonstrated through researches. The vast majority of students gamble without experiencing ill effects, yet almost 8% of university students may build up a gambling problem (Derevensky, J. L., Gupta, R. (2007). Gambling was once an acceptable form of entertainment on campuses but with the new laws, it is now forbidden to participate in any kind of gambling activities, but still it can be found everywhere. However, the warning signs of developing a gambling problem are not brought forward, as is seen with other potentially addictive behaviors, such as drug use and alcohol consumption. With the swell in gambling venues, social recognition of gambling, and access to extensive and inexpensive means of gambling, it is not astounding that studies have found high rates of gambling linked adverse problems among college students. 2.9 Problem gambling Problem gambling or ludomania is an urge to continuously gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. The prevalence of problem gambling has been evaluated at 7.8% among university students which is considerably high than the roughly 5% rate found among the general population (Blinn, Pike, Worthy, Jonkman, 2006). Students facing problem gambling illustrate many signs including isolating behavior, lowered academic performance, poor impulse control and displaying extreme overconfidence, and participating in other high risk behaviors such as bringing on alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use and risky sexual behavior (LaBrie, etal, 2003), (Goodie, A.S, 2005). Environmental factors also contribute to problem gambling. The surroundings of a student are a key factor in determining whether he is prone to problem gambling. If the students live in an area where gambling opportunities and social normative beliefs that are supportive of gambling activities are available, this i ncreases the likelihood of gambling participation and of development of a gambling problem. Staffs that are conscious of environmental conditions that may contribute to problem gambling can develop policies to help these students (Wehner,M. 2007). 2.9.1 Gambling Addiction and Problem Gambling Whether you wage on scratch cards, sports, poker, roulette, or slots, in a casino or online, problem gambling can sprain relationships, impede with work, and escort to fiscal cataclysm. You may even do things you never contemplate you would, like stealing money to gamble or reimburse your debts. You may believe you can’t stop but, with the right help, you can triumph over a gambling problem or compulsion and reclaim control of your life. The first step is recognizing and acknowledging the problem. Gambling dependence is occasionally referred to as the hidden illness because there are no apparent substantial signs or symptoms like there are in drug or alcohol addiction. Problem gamblers on average refute or minimize the problem. They also go to great lengths to bury their gambling habits. For example, problem gamblers regularly depart from their loved ones, sneak around, and lie about where they’ve been and what they’ve been up to (Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., Melinda Smi th, M.A., and Lawrence Robinson, 2013).

The Polemic about Tattoos :: essays research papers fc

The polemic about tattoos I was wondering why tattoos are a controversial point in our society! There are people against and people that really like tattoos, but who is right? Should I think it is a good or a bad thing? Maybe for the tattooists the art involves is worth the pain and sacrifice of being tattooed. For the religious, it is a sin to sacrifice one’s body with so meaningless purpose. Now I don’t think there are excuses to justify so drastic a way of art, but analyzing the points of view I will try to clarify some questions I still have about this body art such as the reason people have tattoos, â€Å"When did tattooing start?†, the dangers involved in this procedure, the removal of a tattoo and society’s reaction to tattooed persons. Thinking it is weird to have one’s body penetrated many times by a needle to make only a drawing I do not think is worth it. So, why do people have tattoos? Why it is a common place nowadays? Probably because people see that the tattoo is a way of expression, but the real motivation to acquire it varies among groups and cultures. It marks thoughts, opinions, memories†¦Some persons obtains tattoos as a means of asserting their personal identity or sexual orientation. Tattoos may be a testament to feelings of love, they have been associated with rites of passage and identification with groups. Nowadays tattoos is used for some cosmetic medical procedures and permanent make-up applications, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ web site. Some women seek facial tattooing as method of permanent adornment that reduces the need of cosmetics, what can be helpful when, for example, a compromised vision impairs the ability to apply make-up. Talking with a friend who likes a lot of body art, Manoela Cunha, she said: â€Å"I like tattoos because they make me feel â€Å"the one†! There is no one else in the world like me it is a way of identification†. She adds: â€Å"It is not a rebellion of thoughts, it’s just something I like and I really don’t care about other peoples judgment†. She said it is not a painful thing, none of her 3 tattoos and her piercing hurt, and she is planning to get others. Analyzing the past, I can see it is not a recent thing. I read once in a web site about frequently asked

cinco de mayo :: essays research papers

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico. So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862. The French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas. Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War. The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy -- as European countries traditionally did. Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish. General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes. When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz' superb horsemen miles away.

Hesters Deconstruction of Puritan Ideals in Nathaniel Hawthornes The

The Scarlet Letter - Hester's   Deconstruction of Puritan Ideals   Ã‚  Ã‚   Hester, the protagonist in Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, effectively challenges the efforts of the Puritan theocracy to define her, and at the same time, contain the threat she poses to the social order.    Throughout the novel Hester bears the mark of an "A" embroidered on her chest which was originally intended to label her as a social outcast, more specifically an adulteress to the rest of society. She wears the "A" for many years after she bears her "illegitimate" child with virtually no objection. She graciously accepts the punishment bestowed upon her by the strict Puritanical decree that rules, unimpeded, over the New England town where she finds residence. But as the novel progresses Hester remains subservient, dutiful and humble, living in slight seclusion with her child on the edge of town. Hawthorne writes:    As was usually the case wherever Hester stood, a small, vacant area - a sort of magic circle - had formed itself about her, into which, though the people were elbowing one another at a little distance, none ventured, or felt disposed to intrude. It was a forcible type of the moral solitude in which the scarlet letter enveloped its fated wearer; partly by her own reserve, and partly by the instinctive, though no longer so unkindly, withdrawal of her fellow-creatures (Hawthorne 181).    This excerpt from the text shows how Hester does, to some extent, impose strict limits upon herself which she lives by, and which helps to reinforce her punishment, and at the same time preserve and show respect to the Puritan theocracy. Hester cooperatively plays the role of the scapegoat for the rest of soci... ...forts of the Puritan theocracy as she refuses to divulge the identity of her fellow adulterer, revealing a weakness in the governance and facilitating her with a certain sense of power. This power Hester experiences, along with her child, are her testimony to the contribution she makes in the deconstruction of some patriarchal Puritan ideals. But at the same time Hester does lead a virtuous life that harmonizes quite well with this Puritan theocracy, this enables Hester to deconstruct parts of the social order at its very source. The upright way of life that Hester chose to live by, after time, resulted in a near metamorphosis of the originally stigmatized definition that the letter "A" held in society, to one that carried a much more positive connotation.    Work Cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: St. Martins, 1991.   

Discuss the roles of development learning Essay

The nervous system is responsible for the initiation, propagation and co-ordination of animal behaviour. How it is constructed and what factors are involved encompasses many fields of biology, from ethology and neurophysics to evolution. In this essay I will describe the roles of development learning and evolution in the construction of the nervous system and give experimental evidence that backs up these theories. Evolution Evolution deals with the origins of the nervous system, where it comes from determines how it will be constructed. This will have direct consequences on the relative fitness of an individual as the layout of the nervous system relates to how the animal behaves. Phylogeny is very important therefore to analyse how changes in the nervous system relate to the evolution of behaviour. The only realistic way of studying the evolution of nervous systems, particularly the events, which lead to, their current day form, is through comparative biology. By comparing closely related species in similar niches, the difference in their behaviour must have a genetic/nervous system origin. A good example of how behaviour can be genetic in origin and show that nervous systems can evolve to create different behavioural responses is found in deer. The white tailed deer odocoileus virginianus and the mule deer O. hemionus use different gaits when alarmed. The white deer gallop and the mule deer stott. This alone doesn’t confer that the difference is due to their nervous systems but the genetic origin for the behaviour is inferred when a cross between the two species results in a hybrid that bounds when alarmed. In order to attain quantitative data the use of complex nervous systems, such as mammals, is unfeasible. A simpler nervous system is better suited and comparisons can then be extrapolated for the more complex animals. Within the invertebrates the model organism is, as ever, Drosophila. Since its genome has been sequenced and the relatively short generation time it plays a key role in the study of all type of nervous system construction. Zebra fish have been termed â€Å"flies with backbones† and are perfect for the study of nervous system development in vertebrates. However these relatively simple organisms are still too complex to study fully and so scientists tend to use a part of a nervous system for detailed analysis. The Crustacean Stomatogastric Ganglion STG, which comprises of only 30 ganglions, is most popular for several reasons, mainly because it has been preserved for about 350 million years and is seen across many taxa. This allows for comparison on a smaller scale and although the overall synaptic circuitry is similar there are differences in the relative strength of connections and the amount of electrical coupling across the taxa. The reason why the STG is seen across so many taxa is because on the whole the nervous system is a very evolutionary conserved organ. This reflects its importance to an animal. As it is so conserved certain inferences can be made regarding the evolution of the nervous system. The first is that the neural networks must be pretty similar across species meaning that the nervous system is more of a generalist than a specialist. Therefore only small changes to the nervous system are needed in order to produce markedly different behaviours. It is these behaviours that are then subsequently acted upon by natural selection and contribute to the nervous system layout in the next generation. Development Once the genetic instructions that determine the constitution of the nervous system have been selected the next step in the construction of the nervous system is the subsequent application of that code, the development. The nervous system develops during embryogenesis and continues in some form or another throughout the animals’ life, but that latter stages of this development I shall relate to the learning part of this essay. From before we have learnt that the basic mechanisms for constructing a nervous system are highly conserved during evolution. There is a set of general tools that are used by all species and perhaps only a few specialist tools are needed in order to make an individual nervous system. The nervous systems building blokes are neurones, and since all cells derive from the fusion of the male and female gametes there must be factors telling cells to become neurones. The process of creating neurones is called neurogenesis and the mechanism is neural induction, the committal of cells to a neural fate. It appears that this process is a permissive one, one where the local inactivation of inhibitors in the ectoderm, creates neurones. The factors that drive neural induction are basic helix loop helix type proteins and homologues have been found in both vertebrates and invertebrates, thus stressing their importance. Also the helix loop helix is a very evolutionary old mechanism for gene regulation and the fact that neural cells can be coerced The next step is the creation of asymmetry in the ectoderm. This allows a more complex, coordinated nervous system to develop. The formation of layers, maps and modules is an essential feature of neural development in â€Å"higher† animals. The process of creating asymmetry, and so the nervous system as a whole, can be divided into three parts. 1. Pathway Selection The growing tips of the neurones travel great distances in order to reach their target. When confronted with a series of choice points they manage to travel in the right direction. 2. Target Selection Once the neurone has arrived in the correct neighbourhood the contact and recognise their correct target, usually a localised set of neurones. 3. Address Selection Refinement occurs as axonal terminals retract and expand to select a specific subset of cells from within the overall target. Capable of transforming a coarse, grained and overlapping projection into a refined and highly tuned pattern of connections. The mechanisms of these processes are still being elucidated although some basic principles have begun to crystallise. The development of connectivity most probably involves general â€Å"algorithmic† principles. The experiments performed in the last ten years have proved to provide strong evidence for many of the previous hypothesis. Pathway and Target Selection Mechanisms Axonal growth needs to be controlled in order for a functioning nervous system to develop, however this does not necessarily mean that the neurons have to be firing in order to be set up. The pathway and target selection mechanisms are believed to be autonomous, activity independent. This has been demonstrated by work done on Ambystomid Urodeles (Twitty and Johnson 1934). The embryos were paralysed with TTX for a period of days until the larvae would normally move and feed for themselves. At that point the TTX induced paralysis wore off and surprisingly the animals soon began to swim and eat in a remarkably normal fashion. In the 1970’s a theory developed that the innervation of muscles is largely at random, with patterns emerging later by the elimination of connections and cell death. This appears to be a very costly mechanism as neurones are being created only to soon be destroyed. This theory was abandoned when studies were performed on chicks (Landmesser 1978, 1980) and zebra fish (Eisen et al, 1986) that showed specific motor neurones innervate their target muscle with relatively few error from the outset. They possess unique identities that allow them to differentially respond to the choice point region, follow particular pathways and innervate specific muscle. Sperry first postulated the mechanism for the directionality of growth cone movement in 1963 when he suggested the chemoaffinity hypothesis. Neuronal growth cones were specifically guided toward their correct targets by specific chemotactic cues and proposed gradients of chemical labels. The neurones enhance and transduce the signals from the extracellular matrix to remodel cytoskeletal elements. This form of gradient-mediated chemotaxis is essential in the formation of more complex structures such as layers and maps. However the directional sensing of neurones in a 2D field such as the tectum is strong evidence for guidance by gradients despite any molecular evidence. Theoretical analysis show that requirements for map formation are simple for target tissue; there must be at least one gradient for each of the tangential dimensions. For co-ordinated simultaneous development of the nervous system there must be a series of different gradients to ensure that neurones do not switch tracks or get confused when the tissue becomes saturated with the same molecule. This has been seen when the preferred neurone’s pathway has been ablated and they have chosen not to move down other axons. There is also compelling evidence for chemorepressor molecules which serve to deter axonal growth. Studies by Kampfhammer and Raper in the past 15 years have shown the mutual avoidance of the CNS axons and the PNS axons. Evidence is also accumulating that the developing midline of the CNS of both vertebrates and invertebrates provides both attractive and repulsive guidance cues. Many CAMs, integrins and extracellular matrix molecules have been implicated in growth cone guidance, owing to their expression in vivo. The experimental evidence for these molecules being directly responsible through the use of immunoassays and mutation is scare. One series of molecules has been identified though, small GTP proteins of the rho family that regulate the focal adhesion, membrane ruffling and filopodial protrusion of neurones. However assessing the accuracy of targeting is difficult. The mapping efficiency, although higher than simple dorsal-ventral distinctions is still far below the accuracy of some sections in the nervous system, namely vision. Other theories have had to be formulated in order to explain the increase in resolution. Selective cell death has been postulated but the one with the most evidence is activity dependent self-organisation. Address Targeting Activity dependent plasticity seems uniquely suited to refine local axonal projections beyond the accuracy achieved by genetic instruction alone. Schmidt and Edwards (1983) demonstrated the effects of activity dependent on creating a fine-grained map in the visual cortex of a fish. The fishes’ eye was crushed, if left to heal it eventually regenerated and regained the retinotectal map. If the regeneration was interrupted by the addition of TTX the fine-grained map failed to form although the coarse topographic map still formed. This suggests the relationship between refinement and neuronal activity. Further studies revealed that retinal ganglion cells fired synchronously, both during embryogenesis (intrinsic origin) and after (extrinsic origin), suggesting that it was not the neural activity per se but the temporal and spatial firing that refines axonal connections. So called â€Å"cells that fire together wire together†. But the converse is also true, that for any kind of axonal remodelling not only must appropriate connections be strengthened but inappropriate ones must be weakened. The evidence for the synchronous firing of neurones continuing into later life means that the environment is constantly altering the neural networks. Learning As we have learnt the constantly changing neural networks are directly related to the extrinsic information they receive. The definition of learning is the acquisition of new information and memory is the retention of that information over time. It is clear now how the two are related in terms of the nervous system, the process of learning effects the construction of the nervous system by the storage of the information gained. The acquisition of information may come in different forms, associative between two stimuli or non-associative such as habitualisation. However they do not directly alter the nervous system, the nervous system is altered by the way in which it decides to store this data. The first insight was made by Ebbinghaus (1913) where he determined different phases of memory storage. It was Milner who first made the distinction between short term and long-term memory, the two different types of data storage, which are separated on a temporal basis. Short-term storage involves functional changes in the strength of pre-existing synaptic connections. This was demonstrated by experiments on Alpysia. Conditioning was performed and it was reflected in the neural circuitry as a greatly enhanced strengthening of the input connections of the sensory neurones to their target cells. Murphy and Glanzman (1997) provide compelling evidence for the changes in synapse being causally involved in the learning of new information through their work on the receptors of glutamate in the synapses. Long-term memory storage involves the synthesis of new protein and the growth of new connections (Flexner et al 19650. Given this information how is short-term memory converted into long-term memory? The answer is not yet fully understood, but experiments have given some clues as t how it occurs. Serotonin is thought to be important (Kandel 1976) as it increases the intracellular concentration of the secondary messenger cAMP. Martin et al (1997) suggests that new genes are being activated in the nucleus have their products distributed widely, but that the products only persistently strengthen those synapses that have somehow been marked by short term facilitation. It also appears that the protein CREB is required for functional plasticity but it is not sufficient for morphological plasticity. The changes to the gross structure of the nervous system in response to learning can be seen in an experiment performed on monkeys that were trained to preferentially use only some fingers. The cortical representation of those fingers expanded (Merzenich and colleagues). This has also been demonstrated with violinists who show a disproportionate representation of their left hand (fingering hand) when compared to their right hand (bow movement). Conclusions The roles played by each factor described here each have their own specific effect on the construction of the nervous system. The evolutionary aspect controls the â€Å"blueprints† of the nervous systems that are hard coded into the DNA of the animal. However it is not specifically the genetic makeup of the nervous system that natural selection acts against, rather the phenotype of the nervous system, which is the combination of the developmental and the learning factors. The evolutionary factors alter the genotype, the only source of variation that can be passed down to their offspring. The development can only attempt to recreate the layout as specified by the different alleles; it cannot exceed them in terms of functionality. The true source of variation depends on the extrinsic information obtained and stored in memory, but that us not able to cross generations (with the exception of tradition) and so could be an explanation for the high evolutionary conservation of the nervous system. Bibliography Gierer, A & Muller, C. M 1995 development of layers maps and modules. Current Opinion o Neurobiology 5 91-97 Goodman, C. S & Shatz, C.J. 1993 Developmental mechanisms that generate precise patterns of neuronal connectivity Neuron 10 (Suppl. ). 77-98 Lumsden, A. & Jan, Y-N. 1997 Development. Editorial overview: the end of the beginning? Current Opinion in Neurobiology 7 3-6 Kandel, E. R. & Pittenger, C. 1999 The past, the future and the biology of memory storage Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society London B 354 2027-2052 Katz, P. S & Harris-Warwick R. M. 1999 The evolution of neuronal circuits underlying species-specific behaviour Current Opinion in Neurobiology 9 628-633.

Psychometric assessment Essay

Certain good deal incline to be more obedient than former(a)s. Individuals who flip the extendency to adopt a submissive, noncrucial attitude toward authority figures authoritarian incoming (Adorno, 1950) tends to perform tasks when demanded. Also, plenty with an external locale of control (a sense that fate rules their c argoner rather than their own actions) tend to be more obedient. However, despite the popular myth that women are more submissive, women and men are relatively equal in the floor to which they will obey demands (Eagly & Carli, 1981).Dehumanisation or deindividuation is the loss of the sense of single(a) personal identity and control over our doings. Sensory overload, arousal, anonymity, and cut down self awareness are rudimentary grammatical constituents which loosen inhibitions and thus uncharacteristic behaviour is not inline with usual internal standards. gibe to deindividuation theory, the psychological state of deindividuation is aro uti lize when item-by-items conglutination crowds or immense classifys. The state is characterized by diminished awareness of self and someoneity.This in turn reduces an individuals frugality and normative regulation of behaviour. In mixer psychology, deindividuation is a major theory of grouping behaviour it provides an explanation of collective behaviour of violent crowds, mindless hooligans, and the lynch mob. In addition, deindividuation has been associated with other social phenomena such as genocide, stereotyping, and disinhibition in other settings such as computer-mediated communication. Several influential studies were conducted to illustrate the line of deindividuation.For example, Zimbardo (1969) carried out a study that inspired much subsequent deindividuation inquiry. In this study, participants were rendered anon. by clothing them in oversize lab coats and hoods, compared with normal clothes and cook tags in the control condition. The participants task was to blast a confederate in a situation similar to the classic Milgram studies on obedience. In a first sample utilize groups of female students, Zimbardo demonstrated that anonymous participants shocked longer (and therefore more painfully) than identifiable participants, in confirmation of his theory. other area of joust in psychology is the area of psychometric interrogationing, which aim to capture important decisions affecting individuals and society. examines are employ in a variety of settings to fear selection in education and pasture and for diagnosis for those with skill and psychological hassles. dexterity tests were amongst the first psychometric tests to be developed, and controversy has surrounded their recitation since. Binet and Simon (1905) were commissioned by the French government to find a method to dissimilariate between children who were intellectually normal and those who were low.The purpose was to put the latter(prenominal) into special schools where they would receive more individual attention. In this way the disruption they ca utilise in the education of intellectually normal children could be avoided. This led to the development of the Binet-Simon Scale, and constituted a revolutionary approach to the judicial decision of individual mental dexterity. Revisions to the Binet-Simon Scale resulted in the impression of mental age, an easily apprehensible concept which signifi stomachtly increased the popularity of baron testing.Further developments of the tests produced the concept of intelligence quotient (IQ) and resulted in one of the currently most wide drug ab employ tests, the Stanford Binet Scale. Most intelligence tests invoice the general reasoning ability that is taked in more distinguishable types of problem solving behaviour. Older types of tests referred to this intelligence featureor as general ability, whereas more novel tests boast tended to divide the general ability into fluid intelligence (i nnate and not especially do workd by ones environment) and crystallize intelligence (underlying fluid intelligence that is a product of environmental experiences.In recent years, the introduction of the eleven plus exam, which is generally compiled of IQ tests, was used to distinguish those who would fail to grammar school and those who would be relegated to academically inferior secondary schools. Research into the psychometric assessment of intelligence has been the focus of many uplifted psychologists including Spearmen, Burt, Eysenck, and Cattell. The latter two also went on further to develop (separate) personality tests, Cattells 16PF in 1970, and the Eysenck reputation Questionnaire (EPQ) in 1975.These involve analysing a series of short yes/no questions in an attempt to decipher the nature and character of the person answering them. Today, personality assessments are mainly used in clinical settings, with their use in occupational settings increasing. They whitethor n also be used in educational settings in assessing individuals with learning problems and are still wide used and developed within academic and research settings. Personality tests are also widely used today within the pasture environment, perhaps for deciding whether to employ person or not, or even to break up who gets made redundant.On the solid, psychometric tests have acceptable validity and therefore stigma them less prone to error than other types of assessment. The interpretation of psychometric data requires the use of norms, against which the scores of a particular individual lav be compared. psychometric assessments tend to be the only measures for which norms are available. Psychometric tests are fairly short and therefore time and cost in effect(p). Many are group tests, and so can be given to a number of people at the same time.In fact the development of computer programmes concerned with psychometric testing means that tests can be administered and scored by a computer, enabling results to be made available quickly and can form the basis of a discussion. Personality tests are particularly cost efficient as they prevent money existence wasted on training conflicting personnel. However, there can be an wild reliance on the results of psychometric tests. simply discovering that a person has an aptitude for a particular occupation does not stop up that they will be winnerful at that job.The mystique of psychometric test results means that they are frequently not discussed with those who complete them. In this sense there is a stroke to use psychological testing humanely. Test scores can also be misused. The results of tests should not be used to recover educational or occupational opportunities from those who whitethorn perform less well on tests of ability due to factors that have diminished to do with intelligence. In any instance, the results can be faked by the participant to influence the results in their favour, and so can be un knowingly misinterpreted anyway.Because of the cheapness and predictive success of many psychometric tests, there may be a failure to use other important information. Psychometric test results should ideally be used on base other reliable information astir(predicate) a person, otherwise they may revilely stereotype an individual. Furthermore, there are many ethnic and sub- cultural issues that can arise when beat IQ, which causes much controversy. At the extreme, IQ tests were used to keep out certain immigrant groups from the join States during the 1920s.Jenson (1969) suggested that genetic differences were the cause of consistently debase IQ scores observed in non white racial groups. Recent controversies link up to the systematic differences attained by different groups in society. Critics say these are the results of warp in test items. Typical examples worry to previously learned information and items using verbal information, typically English, which require train ing and writing. thus far when tests are translated to the native manner of speaking of the participants, questions are still raised over the cultural equivalence of certain items (Zindi, 1994).Even tests which explicitly attempt to be finishing fair have been questioned. The Ravens Progressive Matrices test showed that the performance of Asian immigrants has been found to improve over a five year period by an average of 15-20 points, which demonstrates that minorities will be discriminate in taking them until they learn different ways of approaching them (Roth, 1990). In 1972, Williams produced the sorry Intelligent Test of Cultural homogeneity (BITCH) in an attempt to highlight cultural biases in test items, which was heavily fuddled towards black minorities.Using this test, it is black people who tend to score higher than whites. specially in IQ tests that use visual cues, participants may misinterpret an action, and their own cultural biases produce expectations which ca n alter what they pull in. They may use methods derived from an alien finale (emics/etics) and may have a opponent reception which will bias their observations. Observations are made of a sample and may not be typical of the whole burnish being studies. It is also wrong to imagine a culture as being a homogenous group of people differences within a culture may be as large as those between cultures.